


I Promise, I'll Do Better

by Kufikiria



Series: It's Always Been You [11]
Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: (Near) Future, Canon Compliant, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, One Shot Collection, Parenthood, Pregnancy, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2019-06-08 09:22:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 19,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15240303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kufikiria/pseuds/Kufikiria
Summary: A collection of Peraltiago fanfics about their life as future or new parents. 100% fluffy times.





	1. The Promise You Made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Long ago, Jake and Gina made a deal where Jake would have to let Gina name his first child. When he and Amy tell the squad they're expecting, she doesn't wait to remind him of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is based on an idea by @sheetpiled on Tumblr (slightly altered, though): what if Jake and Gina made a strong bet in their young years and now Jake must name his kid something Gina chooses, and Gina decides something like Beyonce?
> 
> Thanks for letting me work with it, it was so much fun (and a bit challenging, too, because I have to admit Gina's the hardest character for me to write haha) :) I hope you guys will like this – don't hesitate to let me know what you think!

From the corner of his eye, Jake can see his best friend stop Amy in her tracks and start excitedly talking to her on her way back from the bathroom. He notices how she turns her gaze from Charles for a second, shooting a knowing glance at him from the other side of the room before putting her attention back on the man in front of her, faking a bright smile while she listens to his ramblings.

He watches them, amused, for a few minutes before thinking about coming to his wife's rescue and save her from their colleague's grasp. He doesn't have the time to stand up and leave his booth, though, because soon enough Gina is taking a seat in front of him with a beer in her hand and a huge victorious grin on her face, forcing him to remain where he is.

“So, what do you think of Pantsuits? Could fit a girl or a boy… and Amy,” the woman says without prompting, making her friend frown in confusion.

“Since when do you care about pantsuits?” he asks, curious they'd have such a conversation.

“I don't. I just think it could be a good name for your baby.”

The simple use of the words 'your' and 'baby' next to one another makes the man across the table smile dreamily.  _Your baby._  He's going to have a baby –  _his_  baby, with Amy. They're gonna be parents.

Sure, he's known that for a few weeks already, when his wife broke the news to him in the evidence locker of their precinct (truly, this room has become his lucky room, when it comes to his relationship with her partner – and this from the very start of their love story) but he's not sure he'll ever stop being astonished that it's happening – even more so now that they finally let their squad in their little secret.

It makes it all the more real.

“Hmmm, I don't know,” Jake eventually comes back to the reality of the moment, remembering the woman's offer and taking a pause to consider it. “I'm not sure Amy would be into it. She already refused we add 'Nakatomi' to our list because  _there's no way we'll name our child after a tower, babe!_ ”

Despite what he just said, turning down her idea, Gina's smile surprisingly only grows bigger when she hears her friend's words. “Oh, girl,” she lets out an exaggerated sigh when she speaks in return, her beam still making her face shine brightly. “You don't remember, do you?” She watches the man, who simply tilts his head on the side, trying to understand what she's talking about, but apparently failing at it.

“Remember what?!” He gives up.

“9th grade. We made a deal – I talked about you to my friend Nathalie and, in exchange, you said I could choose your first child's name. Well, it's happening, girl. Get ready for it.”

Jake's features instantly go white and his mouth opens in half, though no sound seems to go out of it. Flashes of his younger self, shaking hands with a younger Gina, suddenly pops into his head – a memory he obviously forgot until now.

“Oh, no,” he eventually lets out, defeated, cursing his past-self for being so stupid and already regretting what he did at the time.

Amy's gonna kill him when she learns about this pact he made with his old friend – for nothing, even; Nathalie never agreed on going out with him despite the other girl's praises.

“Oh, yes,” Gina grins in victory at the detective's reaction.

When he eventually regains some composure, Jake doesn't have the time to try and persuade the woman to abandon her part of the deal, because his wife comes out of nowhere and approaches the pair, having apparently managed to make Charles leave her alone. She doesn't feel the heavy atmosphere weighing on the booth, sitting next to her husband with a sigh, immediately curling against his side.

On instinct, his hand comes finding its rightful place on her belly, softly skimming her skin over her blouse with his thumb. It makes them relax instantly, no matter their moods right now.

“Ugh, I'm starting to regret telling everyone about the baby so soon.” The sergeant begins with her ranting as she feels the urge to let it all out, not even acknowledging Gina's presence in front of them. “Charles wouldn't shut up about giving me his gross pregnancy tips.”

It's only when she's met with silence on Jake's part that she takes a better look at him, and sees that something's wrong with him: his gaze is hanging low, stuck on the table in front of him, unable to meet her eyes while his hand curls harder on her stomach. Her own eyes wander between the two members of their squad, then, her brows furrowed together. “What's going on?” she asks him.

“We were talking baby names,” Gina's the one who answers her in an enthusiastic voice while the male brunette only hides further into his seat, as if trying to disappear inside of it.

“Oh, really?” Amy's face lits up at the words, all concern momentarily forgotten, triggered by such a conversation. “We started a list of names we like!” she excitedly says. “We can't really agree with many of them yet, but it's in progress. Right, babe?” She turns towards her husband, who's still speechless, now squealing with edginess.

In front of them, their friend lets out an amused snort.

“Jake?!” The sergeant frowns and, when he hears his name, he finally looks up and straightens up in his seat, watching her with an apologetic smile slightly curling up the corners of his mouth.

“There's… something I need to tell you.” He takes a deep breath, seeking some courage to tell his wife the truth. “Gina and I made a deal a long time ago–…”

He doesn't have the time to go on with his explanation, because Amy lets out a loud gasp, her eyes growing bigger and her hand coming to rest on her stomach in an instinctive, protective move at the man's reveal. “Oh my God, Jake, what did you do? Don't tell me you promised you'd give her your first born in exchange of something stupid?!” She seems on the verge of breaking down.

“What?!” Gina pouts, not understanding what's going on here.

“We're binge-watching Once Upon A Time.” Jake turns to his friend – he, on the other hand, doesn't seem the least disturbed by his wife's reaction. “She's freaked out by Rumplestiltskin.”

“He steals  _babies_ , Jake, what's worst than that?!” Amy replies, on the defensive.

Hearing the couple's words, the civilian administrator grimaces even more. “I don't want your baby.” She seems disgusted by the thought of it.

“What's going on, then?” The other woman puts her whole attention back on her husband, watching him intently with a raised eyebrow, waiting for him to explain everything to her.

He sighs before finally letting it all out. “Well, when we were children, I promised–”

“–  _Blood_ -promised,” Gina corrects.

“–  _Blood_ -promised that I would let Gina choose my first born's name.” Jake quickly lowers his gaze when he's done talking, afraid of meeting his wife's eyes again.

There's a pause, during which a heavy silence fills the booth, until realisation finally hits Amy. “WHAT?! Jake, we can't let her choose our baby's name! She called hers The Enigma! And what about the list?”

“Do you have a problem with my girl's name, Santiago?!” Gina snaps back, glaring at her friend from the seat facing her.

“N–no… Not at all.” She forces a smile. “It's very… original? You know I love Iggy!” She tries her best to make up for what she just said.

Gina doesn't seem to buy it, but she doesn't say anything back regarding this matter either. She simply starts standing up, shaking her head and, while she acts like leaving the couple's table, she tells them, a smug grin back on her features, “Anyways, a deal's a deal, you can't break it. Prepare yourselves to bring Pantsuits into the world.”

After she's gone, there's a moment during which none of the husband and wife speaks, lost in their own minds. Until Jake finally attempts a glance up at the woman by his side.

“I'm sorry, Ames.” He breaks the silence surrounding them, watching her with an apologetic look on his face. “I totally forgot about this. To be honest, I made this deal because, at the time, I was sure I'd never become a father anyways so it'd be a win for me. I couldn't imagine myself finding someone as amazing as you wanting me and… wanting to have a family of our own.”

He looks back down again after that, not out of shame this time though, only to watch his wife's belly, a small smile spreading across his face when his eyes lay on it. He can't see it then, but Amy's expression suddenly softens with her husband's words, feeling her heart clench in her chest.

She doesn't say anything right away and only comes circling his shoulders with her arm, making him scoot further into her side.

“That's okay,” she eventually answers him. “We'll just have to give the baby a middle name we like and only use this one when we call her.” She gently, absentmindedly strokes his arm, smiling too as she speaks.

“You still think it's gonna be a girl, huh?” Jake lets out an amused chuckle.

“Well, I don't know if you remember this one, but you have another bet going on, and I well intend to win it.” The woman laughs along with him.

The detective slightly draws away from his wife's embrace so that he can meet her eyes. “I do remember. But  _I_ 'm gonna win.” He gives her a knowing look, before he gets closer again, pressing a soft kiss against Amy's lips.

“I love you so much,” she whispers when they part, her hand cupping her cheek.

“I love you so much too,” he instantly replies. “And you, too, little Pantsuits,” he jokes, caressing the woman's stomach as he looks back down at it, which makes her let out a heartfelt giggle while rolling her eyes at his silliness.

(In the end, despite months of teasing them about their future child's name, that only increases when they tell her the sex – it's gonna be a girl – and sending them lists of names all more horrendous than the previous ones, Gina surprises them when she enters the hospital room where the little family is all curled up on Amy's bed a few hours after the newborn's birth, her parents watching her sleep in her mother's arms with happy tears in their tired eyes, and she lets them know of the name she eventually chose for her.

“Ana,” she tells them. The couple frowns in surprise and confusion, because this is  _the_  one name they finally both agreed on coming from their list of 'backup names' – and, from the mysterious grin the woman gives them when they confront her about it and she simply shrugs before leaving the room just as quickly as she came in, they understand she somehow knew that already.

“Well, welcome to the family, little Ana,” Jake softly kisses the top of his daughter’s head before doing the same with his wife.)


	2. Like Father, Like Daughter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amy’s on maternity leave and Jake’s still very much obsessed with his dumb sneakers – something she still really loves about him and shows him with a little surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realised I'm writing more and more pregnancy/baby fics, and I don't think I'll stop anytime soon so I figured I should gather them all together in their own place. That's why I'm turning my last pregnancy OS into a collection of baby fics from now on!
> 
> This one literally comes from my brain one night that repeated several times in my dream "imagine Jake and his baby wearing matching sneakers" haha... So here it is! Hope you'll like it :)

“Hi babe, I’m home!”

As soon as he passes the front door of their apartment, Jake spots Amy lying on the couch, turning in his direction at the sound of his voice and offering him a loving smile when their eyes lock together, visibly happy to see him. She’s been on maternity leave for a few weeks now, the term of her pregnancy drawing nearer with each new passing day, but she has to admit she still has a hard time adjusting to this new daily life of not being able to do much other than rest, getting bored so quickly in their quiet, empty home when her husband’s at work.

The detective doesn’t spare any second and joins his wife in the living room, greeting her with a kiss before coming to face her, stooping down in front of her ever so prominent belly. “Hello to you too, baby,” he cheerfully adds at the attention of the growing life inside of it, making his wife smile at the sight. “How are my two favorite girls doing today? D’you need anything?” He looks back at Amy with his second question, wearing a same grin as she is while staring down at him.

“We’re doing fine. Though little Anana seemed very awake today. She wouldn’t stop kicking.” She updates her husband on the news of the day regarding their daughter.

Jake chuckles in return, lowering his gaze back on the woman’s stomach wearing a light beam and glowing eyes while gently resting his hand flat on it for a few seconds in hope to feel the fetus against his palm, before he stands up and takes a seat next to her. As soon as he’s settled down, she makes herself comfortable, putting her legs on his lap, lying further into the couch. He starts brushing his fingers over one of them dreamily, about to update his wife on what happened at the precinct when his eyes fall onto the table and something there catches his gaze, cutting him off in his trail of thoughts.

“What’s my favorite pair of sneakers doing here?” he asks, a curious frown drawing itself on his forehead.

He’s pretty sure the last time he saw his shoes, they were carefully put aside on the shelf dedicated to his whole, ever-growing collection – and it’s clearly not Amy’s style to move them without a good reason behind.

A mysterious grin comes curling up the sides of her lips at the man’s question, as if she was waiting for him to notice the pair. “I needed them for something,” she answers. “A little surprise.”

“What surprise?!”

Jake’s eyes lit up at the simple word, seeming very excited and not trying to hide it even a bit. His reaction makes his wife laugh lightly. For only answer, she stands up and reaches their ex-guest room turned nursery now to grab something in it – some work she busied herself with for the past few days and finally finished. She hands the package to her partner when she’s back by his side, and he takes a pause to look at it, then her, then back at it when he meets Amy’s inviting gaze to open it.

“Remember when you came back with three different pairs of baby sneakers?” She eventually talks while he starts unwrapping her little present.

“I already told you, it was a Father’s Day discount!” Jake tries to defend himself again – it’s not the first time they’re having this conversation. “For every pair of baby sneakers you bought, you got one matching adult-size pair half-price, I _had_ to take advantage of it!”

“I know,” Amy lets out a chuckle, remembering this day he so proudly came back with all those new pairs of shoes. “And I can’t wait to see you and our baby in matching shoes, but she won’t be able to wear them for a while,” she reminds him of the fact that they aren’t made for newborn, which makes the detective pout in return.

His expression soon turns into another curious frown when she adds, “That’s why I made these in the meantime.” She points as Jake finally takes out of the package a pair of tiny knitted sneakers, similar in many points to his own favorite pair on the table, though small and comfortable enough for an infant to wear them.

He silently studies them for a while before he suddenly looks up at Amy with a grin on his face and shiny, glowing eyes finding her own. “Ames!” He lets out a surprised, yet touched gasp. “She’s gonna look so cute in these!” he exclaims, already picturing his future daughter in them.

He then quickly stands up to meet his wife’s level and wraps his arms around her, kissing her breathlessly to thank her for her thoughtful gift. He can feel her own happy smile against his lips.

“Amy Santiago Peralta, you’re the best wife-slash-future-mother ever,” he tells her when they part, all the love he feels for the woman visible in the way he’s staring at her in pure bliss, still carefully carrying the baby shoes in his hand.

“I know,” she simply, proudly answers with a chuckle, the same matching expression in her own gaze on him, before pulling him back to her and kissing him again.


	3. (With Every Heartbeat I Have Left) I'll Defend Your Every Breath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake and Amy pick up their daughter after an afternoon spent at her grandparents’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lmao tbh this is inspired by a comment my teacher made yesterday about his own daughter showing some interested in learning how to play the piano when she was a child.
> 
> I don’t really know why but it reminded me of Roger in ‘Two Turkeys’ and… somehow this came up.

It’s a strange feeling, what takes over Jake’s heart when he passes the front door at his childhood house and sees his daughter comfortably sitting in his own father’s lap, who’s apparently trying to teach her how to play the piano.

It’s a combination of the same pure bliss that always overwhelms him every time he’s with his daughter – especially in a moment like this, when she’s all smiles and enthusiasm – mixed with, he has to admit, a little sorrow that comes with the painful thought that in his own time, his father never cared to teach _him_ this.

He didn’t even know, until a few years back, when they invited the Santiagos over for Thanksgiving for the first time, that the man had any interest in music.

And, if it already hurt back then, it still stings now.

Truth to be told, he doesn’t think he’ll ever be completely _okay_ with what his father did, even with his own new family that completes him perfectly.

Roger screwed up, and he screwed up _bad_.

Don’t get him wrong, though – despite their complicated (to say the least) past, Jake’s thrilled to see that Roger is doing an effort at being there for his granddaughter. In fact, he’s the one who threatened him, before he let him into the hospital room to meet the newborn for the very first time.

He’d known her for a few hours only, but already felt overprotective.

“You’re either in or you’re out. There’s no in-between.” Jake stopped his father in front of the door by putting a hand on his chest, warning him. “So, if you pass that door, it means you’re in until the end. I don’t want to have to tell her one day that her ‘Grampa Roger’ has left and I don’t know when – or _if_ – he’ll ever be back. I won’t let you ruin her life. She already has three grandfathers who I know will love and cherish her the way she deserves. If you can’t offer her the same, I’ll have to ask you to leave right now.”

It’s been a little more than three years since Roger apologized again and made a promise he wouldn’t do the same mistakes as he did and, as shows the scene currently happening in front of Jake, he’s thankfully keeping it still.

A hand on his shoulder, gently grabbing it, brings Jake out of his wandering thoughts and mixed emotions. When he turns his gaze towards its owner, he meets his wife’s, a compassionate look shining in her eyes. He doesn’t have to tell for her to get what’s going on in his mind, all his conflicted feelings. She already knows, and is the greatest support he could ask.

_(His dream girl.)_

He offers her a knowing, loving smile that soon replicates upon her own lips.

But, before they can say anything, their daughter, who was so excited about her lesson she didn’t even hear her parents coming in until then, finally notices them. It doesn’t take long for her to abandon her seat in front of the piano then, and rush in their direction, jumping into her mother’s opened arms.

“Mommy! Daddy! You’re here!” she exclaims.

She hugs them both while Roger greets them more discreetly, and starts rambling about the afternoon she spent at her grandparents’ – she tells them all about the cake Grandma Karen baked for their 4 o’clock snack, the painting they made in the meantime and, finally, the piano lesson with Grampa Roger they interrupted. It’s easy to read on her face and in her voice that she’s had a great time at her father’s family house, and it’s really all it takes to make Jake and Amy happy – knowing that their daughter is.

Even more so when she seems to suddenly remember something, something apparently important, as she runs into another room before she comes back just as quickly with something in her hands, hiding it behind her back.

_“SURPRISE!”_ She enthusiastically, and very proudly, offers each of them a drawing she made during the day with her grandmother.

Touched by the thought, after examining the piece of paper for a few seconds, her parents’ exchange a knowing look, then put their whole attention back on the little girl, who’s not-so-patiently waiting for their reaction to her gift, bouncing on her feet with a huge grin lighting up her small features. Lowering down to her level, Jake wraps his arms around her body, holding back a few tears.

(He tends to get easily emotional, when it comes to his daughter. She’s the best thing that has ever happened to him, after all – along with his wife, obviously.

They’re his own, chosen, _happy_ family.)

While still hugging her, he gets a glimpse at his father, watching the scene from afar, giving them some space. On instinct, Jake holds the child tighter, before he finally slightly draws away from her so that he can put his eyes back on hers.

“Awww, it’s so beautiful, Ananas. Thank you,” he tells her, meaning it, which makes said Ana’s smile only grow wider, showing her small dimples, something resembling her father’s own facial expression.

Behind them, this sweet father-daughter moment makes Amy smile too.

“I love it,” he then adds, with just as much sincerity. “And I love _you_. So much.” He softly strokes her curly raven hair – she definitely looks _a lot_ like him.

“I love you too, Daddy,” she doesn’t waste any second to answer, burying herself into his arms once again, warming his heart.

And, stuck in this embrace, he can’t help but think that though he might not have had the best father, he definitely has the best daughter he could have asked for. He already promised after her birth, but promises again, that he’ll always do anything in his power to offer her (and her hopefully future siblings) the best life he can – a life full of _love_ and _happiness_.

A life where she never has to be on her own.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a long day at work, Amy comes back home to Jake and their daughter having fun in the bathroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is 100% inspired by [the cutest vid ever](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hfm7yJGYkQ) of a father and his daughter that is going around Twitter these days. I could totally picture Jake doing that so I wrote it haha!
> 
> Huge thanks to @amyscascadingtabs on Tumblr who helped me with it, she writes awesome baby fics that you should definitely check out if you haven't already <3

“Daddy, music!”

Wrapped in her favorite bathrobe and a towel after her shower and comfortably tucked against her father’s chest, little Ana Santiago Peralta points towards Jake’s phone on the bathroom sink. He looks at her with a small smile, hesitation visible in his eyes – she’s supposed to go to sleep soon. But he finally takes the device into his hand.  _One song won’t hurt._

“Okay, one song,” he agrees to her request.

His smile broadens and a wave of warmth takes over his heart when he unlocks his phone and the screen lights up. There shows a picture of the three of them with Amy, all dressed up in matching outfits during the last Halloween.

“What you do want to listen to?”

“Tayor Swit,” the toddler answers right away. She doesn’t need to think about it even just a little, bouncing with excitement into her father’s arms. It makes Jake grin with pride.

“I wonder who raised you to have such good taste already.” He kisses the top of her head, still smiling. The girl giggles as he goes through his favorite singer’s playlist in search of a song to put on.

_Bingpot!_  He finds just the right one.

* * *

Usually, it’s her daughter’s small steps rushing towards the entrance as soon as Ana hears the door opening that welcome Amy home – but not that evening.

This time, the room is weirdly empty when she steps inside the apartment after a long day at work. There’s no sign of her husband nor the little girl anywhere around.

She frowns at first, confused as to where they might be, until she hears  _it_  – the slightly muffled sound of music coming from the bathroom. Some Taylor Swift song, she recognizes.  _Shake It Off,_  she can even put a name on it, even from afar – you do  _not_  marry Jake Peralta without being able to tell the artist’s different most famous hits apart.

She’s become used to him putting his playlist out loud around the house by now, after years of living together. Even more so ever since they’ve had a child.

It seems like he has passed his taste in music to Ana.

Amy’s not really surprised by the noise, then.

What startles her, however, is the unexpected – yet quite endearing – sight they offer her when she finally joins them after taking off her coat and laying her purse aside.

Indeed, it seems like she’s walking in the middle of a lovely father-daughter bonding moment. The child is stuck inside Jake’s embrace, their heads bumping into each other’s while the two of them are lip-syncing in turns to the lyrics of the song.

They both seem very into their little game – her husband’s gently moving the both of them around to the rhythm of the music, staring into the mirror. They’re sharing a same half-serious, half-amused expression as they simultaneously (and silently) mimic the “mmh mmh” parts.

No wonder why they didn’t hear her arrive.

Amy leans against the doorframe, biting on her lower lip not to burst into laughter while watching the pair. She can feel her heart getting warmer with each second passing by.

_They’re adorable,_  she can’t help but think. A small beam comes lighting up her face.

It doesn’t take long for Jake to spot her reflection in the mirror. He offers her a huge smile back when their eyes meet through the glass; soon, hers grows bigger –  _fonder_  – too as she waves at him.

_Hi, babe,_  he manages to mouth between two lyrics.

In his arms, Ana is still following the song – or at least tries her best to. He puts his whole attention back on the little girl as he can feel her whole body shudder against his chest. She’s giggling at the silliness of what they’re doing.

It makes him pause to look at her, eyes shining in pure bliss.

She truly is the most precious thing he’s ever laid his gaze on in his whole life.

(Her, and his wife, obviously.)

Quickly though, he joins in their little ‘battle’ again, unable to stop smiling. He sneaks some glances at Amy from time to time; she’s wearing the same look in her glowing eyes and a similar soft beam on her face.

“Mommy!” Ana eventually spots her too.

She catches her mother laughing from behind. It makes her laugh along with her, loudly, the sound resonating through the walls of the bathroom.

_That_  is music to her parents’ ears.

Even better than any Taylor Swift song.

Jake puts her back down so that she can go and greet Amy. Their daughter doesn’t waste any second to run into the woman’s open arms and pull her into a tight hug after a day apart.

“You were having fun?” she asks.

She draws a little away to better look at the toddler. Ana only nods in return, her smile still wide on her small features, showing her dimples.

(The same as her father’s.)

Amy looks up, exchanging a knowing glance with her husband.

After that, it doesn’t take too long before the excitement cools down from the child’s body, replaced with tiredness as she lets out a little yawn.

“Let’s get you to bed.”

Her mother takes her back into her arms and the little family finally leaves the bathroom to join Ana’s bedroom, where her parents tuck her to bed after changing her into her pajamas.

It’s only when they turn her lights off and head towards the living room alone that Jake eventually gets to properly welcome his wife home. With his hands at her waist, he keeps her close to his chest and gently pecks her lips. He then buries his face inside the crook of her neck – taking her by surprise.

_I missed you,_  he mouths against the exposed skin.

She lets out a small giggle while shivers run down her spine.

“I missed you too,” Amy playfully answers, then kisses him back. She buries herself more into his embrace and looks up to meet his eyes as she speaks. “I’m glad I came back home in time to see you and Ana lip-syncing to a Taylor Swift song. I should have filmed you. You guys were  _adorable_.”

She chuckles as images of the moment are already coming back to her mind.

“Can you believe  _she_  picked the song?” Jake jokes. “I think my job’s done here. Taught her all the best things in life.” He amusedly brags, and Amy rolls her eyes.

She can’t help but smile a little too, though – because he  _definitely_  is an amazing father and best teacher of life to their little girl.


	5. There's No Place Like Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake and Amy want to buy a house as they're about to welcome a new member inside their family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've kinda been obsessed with the idea of Jake and Amy buying a house together lately so this happened haha.
> 
> Again, a huge thank you to @amyscascadingtabs on Tumblr for your help and encouraging comments!

“That’s a nice house.”

As he passes behind his colleague’s desk, Charles can’t help but take a quick glance at what his best friend is doing. And, if at first his comment is rather informal, something he lets out almost mechanically, realization hits him all of a sudden. He stops in his tracks to take a better look at the picture showing on the other Detective’s computer screen.

“Wait. Why are you looking at houses?” he asks. He furrows his brows in confusion, though the feeling is soon replaced with excitement when a thought occurs to him. “Are you and Amy moving out?!”

Jake lets out a sigh. He turns around to meet his friend’s gaze. “We’re thinking about it, yeah.” His face softens as he lets out the words and a fond smile comes curling up the corners of his mouth.

“Why?” Charles repeats.

Unfortunately, this answer doesn’t seem to have been enough for him to leave Jake alone.

“I thought you guys loved your apartment and didn’t want to leave? That’s what you said when I told you my neighbor was selling his house and I suggested I’d put in a good word for you so that we could live next to each other and share a ride to work.”

“Yeah, well… things have changed since. We figured we could use some more space,” Jake mysteriously explains.

His grin grows wider with each new word he lets out, no matter how hard he tries to remain casual.

He doesn’t wait for an answer and turns back his chair. He puts his whole attention back on his computer to show his friend that the conversation’s over. The room fills with silence for a beat, making Jake think Charles left his side without trying to argue more. He should have known better, though – because he’s soon startled by the sound of a loud gasp behind his back followed by the other Detective’s voice.

“Oh my God. You’re having another baby.” Charles exclaims with an enthusiasm barely contained.

“WHAT?!” Jake faces him again. He lets out a fake laugh, taken by surprise. “No, we’re not. What makes you think that? Amy’s not pregnant. At all. I mean, she just got promoted Captain, it would be a really bad time for it, right?” He nervously starts rambling.

His eyes suddenly light up at his last sentence, an idea popping into his mind. “That’s why we’re buying a house!” He lies. “To celebrate her promotion and because now we’ll be able to afford it.”

He hopes this excuse works on his colleague.

It doesn’t, though – Charles can see right through him immediately. He stares at his best friend with a knowing look in his eyes – they’re shining with the glow of his excitement.

(After the announcement of Amy’s first pregnancy and the following birth of their daughter, you’d think the man would have calmed down about the couple’s progeny by now. Apparently not.)

(At least he doesn’t seem like fainting, this time.)

Jake lets out another sigh. He knows he has no other choice than telling the truth. Otherwise Charles won’t leave him alone until he does.

He gestures for the older Detective to get closer, so that no one else can hear him when he speaks. “Okay, fine,” he admits in a secret whisper. “We _are_ having another baby.”

The man’s reaction to the news doesn’t wait to come. He can’t retain an excited high-pitched squeal, to which Jake answers with a glare to make him shush. But his face quickly softens. A smile of his own comes spreading on his features. It feels good to be able to say it out loud. _He’s going to be a father – again._ His family is growing even bigger, giving a sibling to their precious daughter.

Nothing could make him happier than this.

“But you can’t tell anyone.” Jake falls serious again. “It’s too soon. No one else knows already.”

“You have my word,” Charles swears. Jake really wants to believe him – he knows the man has good intentions – but despite the promise, he’s skeptical. He knows Charles, and how bad he is at keeping secrets. He wouldn’t be surprised, then, if by the next day people around the precinct start to randomly congratulate him.

“I’m so happy.” Charles squeals again, more discreetly this time. It takes his colleague back from his reverie. “There will be even more Jakes in this world!”

The future father is so happy too, he doesn’t find it in him to stop his friends in his ramblings. Instead, he simply gushes about it with him with a dreamy beam and glowing eyes.

* * *

Apparently, Jake was being optimistic when he thought Charles could keep his secret for at least a whole day. Because as soon as Amy passes the doors of the elevator and enters the bullpen to meet with her husband for lunch and some house-visiting while their daughter is spending the afternoon at her grandparents’, the Detective’s comments and insisting looks immediately give him away.

“ _Jake_ ,” the woman calls when he finally appears inside the room.

She’s been waiting for him sitting at his desk for a good ten minutes. Charles ordered her to, insisting that she shouldn’t remain standing for too long in her ‘condition.’

_“What condition?” she asked, confused._

_“Uhhh…” The man realized too late he’d said something he shouldn’t have._

“Did you tell Charles about _the thing_?” She shoots her husband a glare while she stands up to get closer to him. At that, Jake gives Charles a same severe look. He offers him an apologetic smile in return before concentrating back on his paperwork not take part in what’s to come between the couple.

“Hi, babe!” Jake gently grabs Amy by the waist and pecks her lips in a tender greeting. “How’s the greatest, youngest Captain in the NYPD doing? You had a good morning?”

“Jake,” she simply repeats his name. She’s well aware of what he’s trying to do, and his compliments won’t make her forget about what she’s reproaching him.

(She can’t help but smile a little at the mention of her still new title, though.)

Jake surrenders, then. He lets out a small sigh. “Okay, that’s a funny story, really.” He forces a laugh but his body language tells otherwise; his finger comes nervously scratch the back of his ear.

In front of him, Amy crosses her arms over her chest, not amused. She’s waiting for him to go on with his story.

“But I actually _didn’t_ have to tell him about _the thing_ , because he figured it out all by himself when he learned we were looking for a house to buy.”

She frowns, though her expression looks softer than before. “And why did you tell him about that?”

“I didn’t. I was looking at houses on my computer and he saw it. You know how nosy he can be.” That comment actually makes Amy chuckle. She knows all too well indeed.

Jake also relaxes, a mysterious smile now spreading across his face as he goes on with his speech. “Which reminds me, I have a little surprise for you at the end of our meetings so we should go right now, not to be late on our schedule.” He offers her a knowing look and a grin.

There’s no remnant of annoyance on Amy’s face anymore, all of what might have bothered her before completely forgotten. She only seems intrigued. She used to hate surprises – especially _his_ – but she has to admit he’s become pretty good at it with time. She can’t wait to discover what he has in store for her, then.

“Okay. Let’s go.” She takes his hand and leads him out of the bullpen. She stops in front of the elevator, though, and turns around. She shoots her husband a knowing glance before she starts talking.

“Attention, everyone. Tonight, party at _Shaw’s_. Jake and I have an announcement to make.” A fond smile spreads across her face when her eyes meet with Jake’s. She holds his hand tighter.

“Is it to tell us you guys are pregnant again?” Rosa asks without even looking up from her computer.

 _“CHARLES!”_ the couple shouts in a same exasperated voice.

* * *

“Okay, Jake, where are you taking me? We’ve been driving for so long. I can’t be late at work.”

Sitting on the passenger’s seat of her husband’s car, Amy starts to get impatient.

“Relax, babe.” He glances at her with an amused smile before quickly putting his whole attention back on the road ahead. “I promise you’ll be right on time. We’re not so far away from your precinct, I’ve just been taking some detours so that you wouldn’t guess where we’re going,” he proudly states. Jake takes a hand off the wheel to grab his wife’s on her lap, gently squeezing it.

Amy sighs. “You blinded me. I literally _cannot_ see anything. How could I guess where we’re going?!”

“Still, I couldn’t take risks.”

“Your surprise better be good,” she complains, feeling a little annoyed. She doesn’t really like being deprived of one of her senses like this.

Especially when it comes to her sight – being plunged into complete darkness makes her freak out.

Jake shoots her another grinning look, even though she can’t see it. “It is, I promise.”

Amy doesn’t have to wait for much longer before he finally pulls over. He gets out of the car and rushes to her side to open the door to her, leading her out. He takes a few steps away from the vehicle then stops in his tracks, making her stop with him. Slowly, he frees his wife out of her blind. It takes her a few seconds to readjust to the brightness of the sun but when she does, her gaze gets stuck on what’s facing them.

“Wh–… what are we doing here?” she asks, confused. She doesn’t turn to look at him, staring at a house she recognizes all too well from the numerous pictures she’s seen of it.

(From all the scenarios she created in her head of her little family living inside of it. The hours spent inside the library. The games in the garden. The campouts by the fireplace during cold winter nights.

It had everything her binder requested of the perfect house – located in the perfect area, and only a little above their designated budget. Both she and Jake had fallen in love at first sight with it. Even Ana, when they showed their toddler the images and asked if she’d like living there, seemed really enthusiastic about it. Even though, to be fair, she’d already been enthusiastic about all the previous ones as well.)

Jake beams proudly. _“_ _Surprise!”_

“I don’t understand… I thought it wasn’t for sale anymore. So what are we doing here?” Amy repeats her question.

“I saw how disappointed you were that we were too late on this one, so I gave the real-estate agent my number in case something came out. She called me this morning – the previous buyer dropped out. She’s waiting for us inside, if you still wanna visit it…” Jake points towards the entrance of the house, his smile turned soft now.

Amy doesn’t answer anything right away, at a loss of words. She stares at her husband, her eyes shining with a few happy tears and her heart warming up in her chest. She can’t quite believe what she’s hearing.

She’s definitely the luckiest woman alive for having married the absolute best person in this world.

Her first reaction, when she finally comes back to her senses, is to break the distance between her and Jake and plant a loving kiss on his lips. “Thank you,” she whispers when they part.

He answers her with a kiss of his own, smiling against her mouth.

“Shall we?” He offers her his hand and she follows him inside.

The house is exactly like Amy expected it to be – _perfect_. As the person in charge of selling it takes them on a tour of the different rooms, she and Jake can’t stop exchanging knowing looks and smiles. They don’t have to say it to understand they’re thinking about the same thing. They can easily picture themselves living in there.

“This would make the perfect nursery,” the real-estate agent says as they enter another room. “If you ever consider having another child someday.”

Amy’s hand comes skimming her still flat belly on instinct at the words. She nods at Jake. Memories of that day she learned she was pregnant again and her husband’s reaction to it comes back to her mind, making her smile dreamily. They haven’t told their daughter yet – wanted to be sure they were sure everything was okay first – but she can’t wait for her to know she’s going to be a big sister.

Which will probably have to happen before when they had planned, now that their friends all know too.

“We’re taking it.” The couple barely needs to consider their options when the agent tells them it was the last room for them to visit and want to know what they thought of it. Of all the houses they’ve been looking at for the past weeks, it’s by far the best they’ve visited ever since that night they decided to move out of their apartment.

( _It’d only been a few hours since Amy shared the news of her second pregnancy with him, and Jake was still overwhelmed with tons of happy emotions._

_“We should buy a house together,” he suddenly said, getting out of his reverie. Laying in bed with his hand stroking her bare stomach and his head gently resting against it, he looked up at his wife._

_“Absolutely, let’s do that.” Amy tenderly ruffled his hair with a beam that soon replicated on the man’s features._

_The day after, a new binder was bought and already filled with ads of houses for sale as well as expectations for their future home._ )

They don’t think they’re going to find anything better, then. And, most importantly, they don’t want to take the risk of losing it again if they’re slow to give the woman an answer.

“Perfect. I’ll go get the signing papers ready, then.”

Finally alone, Jake breaks the little distance between him and his wife. He wraps one of his arms around her shoulders while staring at the empty room/future nursery.

“So, this is another one of our crazy days, huh?”

He lets out a contented sigh, thinking about this new step in their relationship they’re about to take by picking their future _home_. Where their children will grow up.

Where _they_ will grow old _together_.

Amy turns her head and meets his gaze – just like hers, his eyes are shining with excitement. She offers him a small smile before getting even closer and kissing him.

“Looks like it, yeah,” she dreamily answers as she lets her head fall inside the crook of his neck and her hand rest over her stomach with his, their finger intertwined together.

(They have two things to celebrate later that evening at Shaw’s with their friends. Amy’s pregnancy, and the closing of a deal for the house of their dreams, indicating the beginning of a new chapter in the life of the little Santiago Peralta family.)


	6. My Lucky Charm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amy's working hard for her upcoming Captain exam and Jake and their daughter have a little surprise for her to wish her luck. (Not that she needs luck.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is inspired by a scene in 3x04 of The Good Place. There's a minor spoiler for the show, then.

“Daddy?”

Comfortably curled up against her father’s side on the couch, Ana lightly pulls at the sleeve of his hoodie to catch his attention. He looks away from the TV screen and down to her – the child has her eyes furrowed in question.

“What is it, Ananas?”

“Why isn’t mommy watching  _The Lion King_  with us?”

Jake smiles at her. He turns more into the couch to fully face her now. “Remember what we told you? That mommy had a very important test soon?”

Ana nods.

“Well, she has to work a lot to pass it. So she’s very busy. But she’ll be done soon and when she is, we’ll all celebrate and spend the  _whole day_  together, okay?”

She contemplates the answer in silence for a beat. She seems pleased with it pretty soon, though, because her eyes suddenly lit up and a grin forms on her small features.

“Will we get ice cream?!”

Her enthusiasm makes Jake laugh. “We will get ice cream,” he agrees to her request and, after doing a little victory dance ( _just like her mother_ ), happy with the answer, Ana puts her attention back onto the movie still playing on the screen.

* * *

A knock on Amy’s door suddenly startles her. It takes her out of her studying and makes her look up from her notes, her wild de-braided hair framing her tired face. The expression of surprise is soon replaced with a wide smile, though, when she recognizes her husband and daughter standing in the doorway. Ana doesn’t wait for her to invite them in to rush towards her mother and into her welcoming arms as soon as their eyes meet.

With the deadline to one of the most important days in her life nearing, the last few days have been hard on the (hopefully) future Captain. She hasn’t been able to spend as much time as she would have liked with her family, between her work and studying nonstop to achieve her dreams. It’s a true blessing she has the most comprehensive and supportive husband by her side, willing to leave her all the space and time she needs to fully concentrate on something that’s so important to her and being the best father to Ana.

“What are you guys doing here?” Amy asks, tenderly stroking her daughter’s dark curls ( _her father’s hair_ ) after she drew away from her embrace.

“Daddy said it was break time so we could come and see you,” Ana answers with a grin. Her mother exchanges a look with Jake, who watches her with a playful smile.

She smiles back at him. He’s right. She definitely could use a break right now.

“Plus I have a surprise for you!” The child proudly hands her a piece of paper she was holding until then. It makes Amy frown with curiosity as she accepts the gift. But, as soon as she turns the page around, her heart instantly warms up in her chest. She stares at it in awe for a few seconds – it’s a drawing of the three of them holding hands, with a message written above.

_You got this. We love you, Captain._

“Daddy helped me with it,” Ana explains what Amy had already guessed – last time she checked, her daughter didn’t know how to write (yet).

She shoots him another glance, then, eyes shining with upcoming tears of overwhelming joy, to which he only replies with a knowing look.

“It’s to give you luck.” Amy puts her attention back on the little girl. She’s at a loss of words.

“This is… so beautiful.” She hugs Ana again and kisses her cheek. “Thank you. Both of you.” She’s talking to Jake now.

“No need to thank us. It’s just facts. You’re gonna crush this exam, just like you did the previous ones.” He casually says.

Her heart misses a beat.  _So supportive_  indeed.

“I love you guys too.”

(On the day of her exam, Amy gets into the venue much too early. She doesn’t mind, though – it gives her time to get through her notes one last time. She opens her  _Captain Exam_  binder, then, and a fond smile spreads across her face when she sees her daughter’s drawing stuck on the first page.

_You got this. We love you, Captain,_  she reads her husband’s words again and somehow it immediately calms her stress down.)

(He’s right, in the end. She  _does_  crush the exam. And, when she’s called for a meeting afterwards, she keeps the drawing carefully folded in her pocket during the whole interview –  _for good luck_.)

(Then, a few months later, it finds its rightful place framed between a picture of her family and another of the Nine-Nine on her new desk in her own office – the one of a newly-graded Captain. The youngest in the NYPD.)


	7. Ours Is My Favorite Fairy Tale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “She’s not even born yet that Jake is already telling his future daughter stories.”

She’s not even born yet that Jake is already telling his future daughter stories.

He actually saw it in an article – how reading to an unborn child can positively affect them. That’s why he comes up with this new habit some time during Amy’s third semester. He tries to do it every night before he and his wife go to bed.

As someone who grew up with parents who wouldn’t read him anything when he was a kid himself, he doesn’t want his progeny to go through the same childhood as he did. Thankfully, despite the lack of stimulation, his brain still turned a very creative one – so much so that, even if he doesn’t have any tale he can remember, he’s pretty good at making up his own.

He loves telling stories. He always has. And even more so now.

Indeed, there’s something really rewarding about finally being able to use his skills for something else than creating tons of different personas for his undercover missions. About being able to use his skills to ‘entertain’ his future child and help her develop in some way. It’s truly wonderful.

In the quietness of their room, future little Santiago Peralta isn’t the only one enjoying these stories. Of all the new – good and less good – things that changed her everyday life ever since she first suspected she was pregnant about seven months ago,  _this_  has to be Amy’s favorite.

She’s lying on the mattress with her eyes closed and finally getting some rest from what has been the  _craziest_  baby shower she’s ever attended (probably because it’s the nearing birth of  _her_  baby that was celebrated that day). This way, she can concentrate better on Jake’s low voice. She can feel his breath on her prominent stomach and the baby’s kicks in response to his words.

It makes him pause for a second every time she does that and marvel at the reaction he’s getting from his audience.

Even with her eyes closed, Amy can easily picture the corners of his mouth twitch up in a bright smile. She beams dreamily too.

She reaches for his hair with her hand and softly smoothes it as she listens to her husband in a religious silence. He chose a particular story to share with their future daughter tonight. His favorite fairy tale (his words).

The story of how they fell in love.

Once upon a time he told Terry and Rosa that he’d like to write a book but all he knew were cop stories and there were no cop stories left to tell. He had forgotten about one. Amy and his love story. Maybe it’s not enough to be considered detective-fiction material (though they  _did_  solve some really intense cases together) but he’s pretty sure theirs is at least the greatest romance of all.

And, most importantly, it’s a story he wants his future child(ren) to know about, if not the whole world in a best-selling book.

Because after all, without it, there wouldn’t be any future child(ren) to tell stories to in the first place.

It’s also obviously the one he knows the best.

Being one of the two main ‘characters’ of this tale, for sure Amy should be pretty acquainted with the topic already too. Still, there’s something different and truly  _magical_  about listening to Jake’s voice recalling their romance to their future daughter. So far away seems that night she foolishly promised she’d never fall in love with him.  _Won’t be a problem,_  were her exact words.

She can admit it now – even at the time, she didn’t believe herself too much when she said that. Some part of her was already falling for him somehow.

And now here they are. Married. About to welcome a third member inside their little family. Who could have imagined this was going to be what’s in store for them when they first met, all these years ago?

(Charles definitely did – and rightly so.)

Amy laughs at some parts of the tale, argues at others when Jake playfully changes what happened or exaggerates things to his advantage, feels her heart pour with so much love for that man who came from being her partner in crime to her partner in  _life_. Her favorite person in the whole world (along with the little baby that’s currently the size of a cantaloupe melon growing inside of her she can’t wait to meet  _for realz_ ).

Her soulmate.

“… and then on an even craziest day, the sergeant said they were going to have a baby and now they’re waiting for her to come so that they can all live happily ever after. The end.” Jake leans over and tenderly kisses Amy’s belly when he’s finally done with his story. The tickling of his mouth on her skin makes her chuckle. She opens her eyes and is met with her husband’s gaze on her, shining in pure awe.

Amy grins at him. “You’re gonna be such a great father,” she whispers. She lets the hand that was in his hair rest on his cheek now, skimming it with her thumb.

She has no doubt about it – and she’s going to make sure he never has any either despite his inner fears of ending up like his own father.

He’s already proven tons of times that he’s not.

Jake smiles back without a word and switches positions so that he’s now sitting by her side, their heads only a few inches away. He takes advantage of that to peck a small kiss on her lips.

“Only because I’ll have the best mother to our baby by my side,” he eventually answers as he blissfully stares back at her. Amy can feel the tip of her ears start to burn in a blush at the compliment. She buries her face in his neck to hide it and cuddles against him. It makes Jake laugh heartedly while he gently strokes her arm.

“I can’t wait for her to finally be here.” He plants another kiss on the top of her head and she nods.

For sure the best part of their story is still yet to come. This new, amazing chapter of  _parenting_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shameless self-promotion but speaking of the Peraltiago story, a while ago I made a video that sums up their whole story from 1x01 to 5x22 if you’re interested in watching it (it’s 18-minute long though lol just so you know): [here](https://b99peraltiago.tumblr.com/post/175321789546/jake-amy-the-peraltiago-story-1x01-5x22).


	8. I Will Bend Every Light in This City and Make Sure They're Shining on You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amy and their daughter welcome Jake back home at the airport.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For a prompt sent on Tumblr: “amy witnessing a pure adorable moment between jake and their kid :)”

“Ana, look! Daddy’s plane landed. He should be here soon now.”

Amy points towards the flight board in front of them as she holds her daughter close to her chest and reads the new information regarding her husband’s plane that just appeared on the screen.

“Daddy!” The three-year-old starts squealing excitedly in her mother’s arms at the mention of Jake.

Amy turns her eyes away from the board to look at her with a loving smile. Ana is the spitting image of her father: she’s got his dimples and soft features and dark messy curls at the top of her cute little head. It’s only becoming more obvious as she gets older that she’s 100% Peralta even though he could swear she’s got her mother’s eyes and laugh.

(And inherited her signature dorky dance – that Amy can’t argue with. She has indeed and it’s probably the most adorable thing she’s ever got to witness in her life.)

When it comes to waiting, though, like most children (and like  _Jake_ ), Ana gets bored pretty quickly. Amy’s glad the wait is finally almost over then and they’ll get to welcome her husband home soon as it was becoming hard to keep the toddler distracted. She’s also impatient to be able to hug him and have him by her side again – it’s only been a few days, barely over a weekend away during which they FaceTimed every night before putting their girl to sleep but still, she missed him like crazy.

And she’s not the only one who did. Ana made it pretty clear that she missed her father too.

(She knows  _h_ _e_  missed them as well from all the texts he sent her on his trip.)

As the little girl won’t stop moving inside her embrace, Amy eventually lets her down and takes her hand to lead her near the arrival gates so that they can meet Jake halfway. She spots him first when he separates from a crowd of passengers and waves at them, standing only a few feet away from them. Ana’s gaze is focused on her feet so she doesn’t see him right away.

Amy’s heart warms up in her chest as their eyes meet and he shoots her a huge grin.

“Look! My wife and my daughter are here!” he exclaims to catch the child’s attention, and indeed the sound of his voice is all it takes for Ana to look up. She pauses only for a second, the time for the realization to hit her that it’s her father calling then lets go of her mother’s grip and runs towards him. Amy watches as the two reunite – how the hems of their daughter’s little flowery dress slightly floats in the air as she rushes in her father’s direction; how he immediately abandons his luggage behind and opens his arm to welcome her into his embrace; and how tight Ana hangs onto Jake so that he can’t leave her again while he gently rubs her back and peppers her face with light kisses.

She has to cross her previous thought:  _this_  is the most adorable thing she’s ever seen; a very obvious proof of the unmitigated love these two have for one another.

(And boy, how much does  _she_  love them too.)

There are tears of joy shining in both father and daughter’s eyes as they eventually approach her, still holding onto each other as if life depended on it and Amy’s pretty sure hers are getting just as wet in front of such a scene.

“How’re my dream girls doing?” Jake leans over to press a quick kiss onto Amy’s lips to say hello. She offers him a soft smile.

“So much better now that you’re here,” she admits and he smiles back – it’s sweet and loving and tainted with a little guilt of leaving them alone. “How was your trip? How’s Kate?”

“She’s gonna be fine.” Amy notices how his hand never stops stroking Ana’s back as he talks. “I’m so glad I’m finally home.” He doesn’t dwell on the topic – simply kisses the top of their daughter’s head and brings his attention back on her. “You happy I’m home, sweetheart?”

“YES!” she happily – and pretty loudly – shoots her answer, wrapping her small arms around Jake’s neck even tighter. Her enthusiasm makes both her parents laugh, the sound of which soon catches Ana as she laughs along with them. Her small happy giggles rise into the air and warm up Amy’s heart again while she exchanges a knowing look with her husband. 

As they start heading towards the airport’s exit and back to their apartment, walking hand-in-hand with Jake still holding their daughter in his arms (she won’t seem to be letting go of him soon), she can’t help but  _finally_  feel home again now that she’s got her  _whole_  family by her side – even though she’s not the one who just came back. There’s no member missing anymore.


	9. Construire un empire juste pour ton sourire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake makes his daughter laugh for the very first time while trying to play a prank on Amy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I already wrote something similar a few months ago but I can’t help it… the image of Jake making his daughter laugh for the first time is too cute to pass on haha.
> 
> Title means “to build an empire just for your smile.” I rediscovered this song not so long ago and now it seems I like using it for my titles haha.

Amy is quietly talking to her baby while softly rubbing her belly when Jake enters the nursery.

“Babe! I just received an email from one of our potential future babysitters,” he says as he approaches his two dream girls.

Amy briefly turns her attention from the infant girl to look up at her husband with a curious frown.

“What does it say?”

He doesn’t answer her question; simply hands her his phone for her to check by herself.

Amy should have known from that moment on what all of this was about – she should have seen it coming. But she doesn’t. She naively looks at the screen and finds herself face-to-face not with a text like she thought she would but a video of a sheep whose scream soon rises into the air.

_Tons of times._  Jake played this prank on her  _tons of times_  in the past. But it still manages to startle her, taking a step back with the surprise before she shoots him a dark, not-amused glare.

He proudly grins back at her – it apparently still makes him laugh as well.

Amy’s about to reply with something but the words remain dead at the back of her throat when a new high-pitched, light sound comes from the crib in front of her. Her dark glare soon turns into another curious expression as she looks down at Ana. She softens completely when she spots their three-month-old daughter squealing and giggling happily while she looks at her parents with visible interest.

Any possible ounce of annoyance she might have felt earlier has definitely disappeared now and, instead of a mock-sharp comment she was preparing in her mind, Amy only exchanges a quick emotional glance with Jake. He seems just as mesmerized by the sight and sound as she is; his eyes are even shining with upcoming tears of joy.

It’s the first time they’re hearing their baby laughing. And they don’t have to say it to agree that it’s the best sound they’ve ever heard – and probably will ever hear – in their lives.

Getting out of her awestruck trance, Amy suddenly grabs Jake’s phone and plays the video again, showing it to their daughter as she does. Ana is soon to react; she starts giggling right when the ear-piercing sound of the goat screaming rises again into the air. She does it another time, and another time.

“Really?!” she asks with a chuckle of her own after the third try and equal third burst of laughter coming from the infant girl. “ _That_  makes you laugh?”

She shakes her head in disbelief though her heart is full of a blissful feeling she’s been experiencing more and more ever since she learned she was pregnant with Ana.

“I made her laugh,” Jake lets out a dreamy whisper by her side. When Amy checks on him, she finds him completely astonished and unable to take his gaze away from their daughter.

One tear has finally made its course down his cheek too.

A new pang of love and happiness takes over Amy’s chest as she watches him stare at their little girl. Jake’s been nothing but an amazing father from the start (even from before Ana was born) despite his initial fears of ending up like his own father. She can easily guess how this moment is making him feel, especially for someone like him.

Especially given their history.

After all, it’s all because she admitted that  _he makes me laugh_  all these years ago now that they took the leap and gave romance a chance – which then led them to their greatest love story and the birth of the person they love the most in the entire world. Their daughter. Who just laughed for the first time thanks to him and his stupid prank.

(A prank she used on him herself before she  _double-tucked_  him back when they weren’t a thing yet.)

Apparently, he’s got the same skill towards their daughter. Amy can’t say it comes as a surprise to her.

“Seems like it runs in the family.” She leans against his side and shoots him a knowing look when he finally turns his head in her direction. He answers with a smile of his own.

“I love you. So much. Both of you,” he whispers before he pulls her closer to him and kisses her temple. They both set their gaze back on their baby then, spending some more time trying to make her laugh and laughing along with her.

(It’s only later that night, when Ana’s long gone to sleep and her parents are still talking about the events in the comfort of their own bedroom that Amy eventually teases Jake.

“Seriously though, two years into our marriage and you’re still doing that prank? You should be ashamed.”

“Ashamed?” he repeats with a laugh, his big goofy grin never leaving his features. “Ames, our daughter laughed for the first time! She obviously loved the joke. I hope you’ll get used to it because I’m gonna show her this video  _every_   _single_   _day_.”

His eyes are shining with amusement as he watches her and, even if she rolls her eyes (mostly for form) Amy stills lets out a heartfelt chuckle.

“Think I can get used to hearing you making our daughter laugh every day, yeah.” She leans over and presses a soft kiss on his lips and settles more against his side, letting her head rest on his chest once they part.

It seems like Amy’s going to have to deal with two Peraltas and their sense of humor in the house but to be honest, she wouldn’t have it any other way – she loves them both so much too.)


	10. Those Arms Were Made for Holding You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amy gets distracted by Jake holding a baby during a case they’re working on together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by a scene from 1x05, when Jake and Charles go on door duty. It seems like I’ve really been into baby fics lately haha, I have moments like these when I can only think and write about it…
> 
> A huge thanks to @santiagoqueen on Tumblr for proofreading this and @amyscascadingtabs for the title!

As his colleague and partner on many cases, Amy’s been dealing with Jake and his shenanigans for years now; be it when they’re on door duty, collecting statements or even during interrogations. She still has vivid images in her mind of him playing with the electronics of a store that had just been robbed or literally breaking the mirrored glass of the interrogation room – and making _her_ take the fall for it.

She’s always prided herself for not letting it affect her work, though. She simply tuned him out and didn’t pay attention to whatever he might have been doing or rambling about next to her. Even after they started dating (after the disaster that had been their first case as a couple), she made sure they kept a professional environment and that his presence by her side wouldn’t distract her from the job.

She succeeded in not letting him disturb her for years of partnership, both on the field and in their personal lives. But today might be her breaking point – and she can’t even blame him for it.

They’d been on door duty for the last half-hour while investigating a murder when they knocked on the door of another one of the victim’s neighbors. A woman with a crying baby in her arms opened to them, looking pretty overwhelmed by the situation.

“NYPD.” Amy took out her badge and showed it to her, trying to keep her eyes focused on the potential witness and not the infant she was holding. “We’d like to ask you a few questions about the Cassidy murder.”

“Sure. Come in.” She stepped aside to let them enter the apartment.

Once inside, while Amy was already opening her notebook and taking out her favorite pen, she saw the woman turn towards Jake.

“D’you mind holding her for a minute?” She pointed at the baby, who was still wailing loudly.

“I, uh–…” He paused, his mouth half-open in hesitation as his eyes switched from the little girl to Amy and back to the woman. “Okay.” He eventually nodded and carefully welcomed the infant into his arms.

He’s been holding her since, rocking her around the living room and talking to her in the most adorable voices as an attempt to shush her cries while Amy’s been busy asking questions.

Or at least trying to stay focused on their potential witness and ask questions without paying attention to her husband’s doing.

Because even though it’s technically not the first time she’s seeing him with a baby – between Terry’s youngest daughter, her own nieces and nephews and Iggy, she’s had a lot of occasions to witness him around them in the past – it still manages to make her swoon and forget about her job for a moment as she can’t retain her gaze from switching from that woman to Jake and the little girl.

Especially when the cries are eventually replaced with silence and then a small happy giggle. She watches as her husband has his whole attention focused on the few-months-old, unable to draw her gaze away from the pair as a dreamy smile forms on her features. There’s a huge grin lighting up Jake’s whole face and the baby’s small hand curled around his left finger as she stares back at him with her big blue eyes.

His voice is soft when he starts talking to her and makes her laugh again. Amy’s heart warms up in her chest at the sight and she feels the urge to bring her hand to her own stomach.

“Your colleague seems pretty good with babies,” the woman she’s been interrogating suddenly says, taking Amy out of her contemplation. Her ears are turning red from blushing as she brings her attention back to the lady; she can’t help but feel embarrassed to have been caught staring instead of doing her job even if the woman looks just as mesmerized by the scene.

It’s not completely her fault, she tries to reassure herself. She probably wouldn’t be as distracted under other circumstances – but she’s one month and a half pregnant and the news is still fresh in her mind (as well as Jake’s absolutely _thrilled_ reaction when she told him their family would be getting bigger in just a few months). Hence the overwhelming feeling that’s taking over her mind since seeing him in the company of a baby.

Plus the hormones.

She really can’t wait to see him holding their own baby for the very first time. It’s going to be _magical_ for sure – the most magical day of their lives.

“Yeah, he is…” Amy dreamily trails off with one last glance at her husband. This time he looks back at her and offers her a knowing smile before he brings his attention back to the girl in his arms and softly skims her small chubby cheek with his thumb. A loving beam soon reciprocates on her own features.

He’s going to be such an amazing father – Amy has absolutely no doubt about that.

(It becomes all the more obvious when, during their ride back to the precinct, Jake starts rambling about how cute that baby was and how even cuter theirs is going to be. He can’t seem to stop talking about it, shooting her quick glances with his eyes shining in pure bliss and bringing a hand to her belly, gently skimming at it with his thumb over her blouse. Amy’s glad she’s not the one driving; with her husband watching her like that and going on and on about a ‘mini-them’, she wouldn’t be able to concentrate on the road for sure.)


	11. It's All an Adventure that Comes with a Breathtaking View

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt sent on Tumblr: “Jake dealing with Amy’s pregnancy symptoms (cravings, mood swings, horny, etc)” (more or less that).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is inspired by emotional!Amy in 6x04 and [a post](https://johnny-and-dora.tumblr.com/post/182484756199/amy-santiago-is-just-so-thoughtful-and-caring-and) by @johnny-and-dora on Tumblr.

Much like several other things in her life – her famous Drunkenness Scale or Panic Scale, just to name these two –, Amy’s pregnancy symptoms come in a scale as well as months go by and bring her closer to the birth of her and Jake’s baby.

It started with the usual morning sickness, followed with weird cravings her husband worked his hardest to satisfy as best as he could, then a very blissful period of her being constantly horny but now, as she’s entering her seventh month of pregnancy it seems like they’ve reached a whole new level of her Pregnancy Scale: the crying spells.

Jake’s coming home from a long day at work when he sees her sitting legs crossed on the couch with a binder displayed next to her. She looks up when she hears him and he immediately catches the tears falling down her cheeks and her puffy eyes. He hurries to her side, worried that something happened.

“You okay, babe?” He lowers down to her level and takes one of her hands in his. He gently rubs its back with his thumbs.

Amy sniffles and brings her free hand to her face, removing some of the salty pearls off her face.

“Yeah, everything’s fine.” She nods as she offers him a sincere, reassuring smile. Jake smiles back at her then lets his gaze wander down to what she was working on.

He recognizes the binder almost immediately; he’s seen it before, during several occasions. That’s where Amy keeps all the pictures and reminders of their story – things she collected through the years, even from before they started dating.

(Jake most definitely cried the first time she showed it to him not long after they came back from the cruise where they voiced how much they cared about the other for the very first time. He still teased her through his tears about how  _bad_  she had it for him for so long and she rolled her eyes before shushing him with a searing kiss.)

Right now it’s open on the double-page dedicated to their wedding day. The sight of their overjoyed smiles as they’re walking down the aisle as husband and wife instantly warms up his heart.

Despite everything that occurred, this was still the best day of Jake’s life – although he’s pretty sure the upcoming birth of his and Amy’s child will beat it, if only by a few.

“Is this why you’re crying?” His voice is soft when he lands his eyes on her and asks.

She nods again, looking away as if she’s ashamed to admit a simple peek at their binder is what triggered this huge outburst of emotions.

“Yeah, I–… I wanted to fill out a new page with these pictures…” Amy hands him copies of past ultrasounds she had kept next to her and Jake’s heart melts once more as well. “But then I got caught up going through the binder again and I just…” She takes a short pause. Jake stares at her as he waits for her to go on – he can see the tears start to well up again in her eyes.

(Damn, he wishes their child is going to have her eyes. He wishes it’ll inherit  _a lot_  of her, to be quite honest.)

“We’re gonna have a baby, Jake!” Amy lets out the last words through a sob, apparently hit with a new wave of emotions. “We were just colleagues and now we’re gonna have a baby!”

Somehow, even if they’ve known it for months now, hearing her say that like this brings tears prickling in his eyes as well.

(He can’t blame it on the hormones, though. Not that he wants to anyway. He’s just  _so happy_ he’s starting a family with the love of his life – these are not the first, nor the last tears he’ll cry thinking of this new adventure awaiting them.)

Jake stands up and pushes the binder away a little to take a seat next to his wife on the couch. He opens his arms and invites her to comfortably settle against his side, which she immediately does.

“I know.” He softly strokes her arm and plants a kiss on the top of her head. He then lets his gaze fall on her now very prominent stomach and his lips curve up in a dreamy smile. “It’s amazing how far we’ve come, uh?”

“It is.” Amy’s still crying; he can feel her tears wetting his hoodie as she lets her head rest against his shoulder. He holds her closer and for a moment, none of them talks.

“I think I’ve reached a new stage in my Pregnancy Scale.” Amy eventually breaks the silence when she’s calmed down a little. She straightens up, her gaze back on Jake.

“You think?” He teases as he replaces a strand of loose hair that was sticking against her cheek behind her ear.

She gently hits him in mock-annoyance.

“Yeah. I’ve been crying all day about the most stupid stuff. Last time was because I couldn’t find my phone and I got mad because I wanted to text you. Turns out it was in my pocket all along.”

Jake retains a snort.

“Crying because you can’t reach your  _amazing_  husband isn’t stupid, though. I’d be upset too if I couldn’t talk to me.”

He offers her a smug smile and Amy answers with a roll of her eyes and a shake of her head. It only makes him laugh a little harder.

“If someone should be called ‘amazing’ in this marriage right now, it’s me. I’m the one doing all the work carrying our baby here, remember?!”

“I know, babe.” Jake’s tone goes from playful to suddenly full of sincerity. “And you  _are_  amazing. The best, even.”

The smile he’s wearing on his face is a lot softer now too. She smiles back at him, something big and filled with emotion – he can actually see tears forming in her eyes again, making them shine. Amy doesn’t say anything; she simply leans closer to him and presses a soft kiss on his lips.

“I love you so much,” she then eventually whispers.

“I love you so much too.” Jake removes one lost salty pearl off her face with his thumb as they part.

“Wanna fill out this new chapter of our life together?” Amy points in direction of the binder after taking a deep breath to regain some composure.

Jake beams at her.

“You know I do.”


	12. Today Our Story Starts Anew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake has a surprise for Amy on her 36th birthday. Turns out, she has an even bigger one for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who’s tired of writing pregnancy-reveal fics? Certainly not me lol!
> 
> Thank you @sergeant-santiago for the help when I needed to pick a plot between different options :’)

With time, Amy has come to love Jake’s surprises, especially as they started dating.

From terrible, they somehow turned into something beautiful and even magical sometimes – the biggest to date still being that one time, almost two years ago now, when he proposed to her on Halloween. She could have never predicted that. Even more recently, he managed to turn their almost ruined first anniversary into the best celebration she could have wished for on the following day to make up for spending the night in a hospital room with a comatose perp.

So really, under different circumstances, she would have _loved_ the surprise he pulled for her 36th birthday as well – aka., throwing a party with all of her friends and parts of her family she doesn’t get to see as much as she’d like to.

But after such big unexpected news she learnt only a few hours ago, she truly would have rather spent the evening as they were supposed to. As in, a romantic dinner just the two of them.

This way, she could have easily shared her own surprise she spent the whole afternoon thinking about and planning (she was able to do that; the perks of always being one – or more like three – steps ahead on her paperwork and not having any important case to solve at the moment).

When she opens the door to their apartment though, she’s not met with her husband waiting for her as she thought she would find him (as he told him he was only a few minutes ago when she sent a text letting him know she would be home soon). Instead, she steps into the dark before all the lights go on at once the second she enters the room and a horde of people greets her.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” they shout in one same loud voice.

At least, she doesn’t have to fake her surprise. She is startled indeed. Just not in the thrilling way people would expect her to be.

“Oooooh… so many people…” she can’t help but trail off as she scans the place and her eyes meet with so many other pair of eyes and glowing faces, all grinning at her.

She tries to smile back at them and look happily stunned when all she can think about is how this is the worst timing ever.

“Hi, honey!” Jake steps out of the crowd and approaches her. She hasn’t made a move yet, stuck still on the doorway of their apartment and trying to process what’s happening. As soon as his hand is on her arm and his lips are on hers though, welcoming her with a tender peck, she can feel her body relax and her features soften. That’s the kind of power his simple presence has on her.

But then he hands her a glass of champagne and her smile vanishes. “Happy birthday, babe,” he whispers to her ear. “I hope you like the surprise?”

“Mmhmm.” She tries as hard as she can to sound convincing – the last thing Amy wants is to hurt Jake’s feelings by showing no gratefulness for what he did for her.

Because she _does_ like the surprise. It’s just not the right time for it. And she can’t really blame him, because there’s no way her husband could have possibly predicted anything else going on at the same time.

“I just need to get changed before joining you guys.” She kisses his cheek, handing him the drink back before she goes and quickly greets everyone and thank them for being here. Then she excuses herself for a minute and disappears inside her room where she sits on her bed and finally lets out a sigh.

Tonight is going to be a long night, she thinks as she takes off her uniform’s jacket. As she starts undressing to put on some more comfortable clothes, her eyes land on her purse and the small present wrapped inside, the gift she quickly bought on her way home. She had everything planned and perfectly knew what she was going to do: she was going to give it to Jake after he would offer her whatever he bought for her birthday.

“I also have something for you,” she was going to tell him and watch with a grin as he would probably frown, unaware of what was going on.

Not knowing yet that their lives were about to completely change and that in a few months, it won’t be just the two of them anymore.

Needless to say her plans are ruined now, with all of these people waiting for her on the other side of the room. There’s no way she’s telling him while they’re surrounded with so many of their relatives. She loves them, and she can’t wait to share the news with them as well in a few months, but for now this is a secret only Jake needs to know – something to share in the intimacy of a moment between the two of them.

Amy sighs again. She’s waited the whole afternoon to tell him. She can wait a few more hours before dropping the beautifully life-changing bomb.

What she _can’t_ do though, is drink any drop of alcohol tonight, or any other night in the next months – something that might be hard to avoid during a birthday party.

 _Her_ birthday party.

She might have found the perfect excuse to say no to this first glass of champagne Jake wanted her to have, but she has a feeling she won’t get away with it as easily next time.

People will get suspicious for sure if she doesn’t have at least one drink with them.

“Don’t worry. We’ll find a way,” she finds herself looking down at her (still flat) belly and gently stroking it as she talks to the life she just learned a few hours ago was growing there. She’s already feeling protective of it. A loving beam forms on her face and she can feel her eyes start to water again at the thought of a mini Jake and Amy inside of her.

She can’t wait for him to know it too, so that they can share their tears of joy together.

“Hi, babe…” A knock on the door and her husband’s head suddenly appearing in the doorframe take her out of her reverie and make her jerk her head up. He frowns but doesn’t make any comment about her suspicious behavior – simply enters the room and come join her on the mattress. “You alright there?” His voice is soft and concerned and she smiles at him.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just getting changed like I said.”

Jake studies her for a beat. She can feel his intense gaze scanning her, as if he knew she’s hiding something.

“Okay, good. Because it didn’t seem like you were truly happy when you saw everyone waiting for you in our apartment.”

Of course he knows.

Amy’s heart tightens in her chest. She feels bad for not being able to appreciate the effort he put into surprising her with such a party.

“I’m sorry, it’s just–… I was taken off guard. This is very different from the calm romantic dinner we agreed on.” She lets out a small chuckle to release some of the tension she’s feeling. “And I was kind of looking forward to having you all for myself tonight. But I’m really happy to see everyone here. It’s a really nice surprise. Thank you.” She grabs his hand and squeezes, looking him straight in the eyes while he smiles back at her.

For a second, getting lost inside his loving gaze, Amy contemplates telling him right there and then before she restrains herself – this is not ideal. There are still people waiting for them outside of the room. They wouldn’t have the time to let the news sink in and properly celebrate the fact that they’re going to be parents.

This will have to wait until the end of the night, she decides.

“I’m ready, now. Let’s go?” She stands up to emphasize her words and Jake quickly follows behind.

In the end, Amy does end up having a good time at her surprise birthday party. She gets to share joyful moments with people she holds dear to her heart and finally, avoiding drinking isn’t as difficult as she first thought it would be – she quickly comes with a stratagem that allows her to pretend she’s downing her glasses when in fact, all she does is filling Scully’s without him ever noticing.

She even manages to trick Gina, Rosa and Kylie into doing birthday shots of tequila with them when really, all she’s drinking is plain water.

The only thing is, there are so many people in there, it’s hard to spend some quality time with her husband – aka., the one person she truly wants to be with during this night of celebrations.

Thankfully though, as time goes by and the night progresses, people start to leave and they eventually find themselves alone after saying goodbye to Charles and Genevieve, the last remaining guests. Amy lets herself fall onto the couch as she feels exhausted after all of this partying. The night isn’t over though – and the simple thought of what’s to come, what news she has to share is enough to give her some newfound energy.

But before she can say a word, Jake is standing in front of her with a goofy grin on his also tired features and a hand extended in her way.

Music is still playing in the background, some slow tune put at low volume.

“I didn’t get the chance to dance with my wife tonight. On her birthday. We need to fix that now,” he explains and Amy laughs as she shakes her head but still takes his hand. He leads her in the middle of their apartment. They quickly fall into a slow pace of swaying around the room in comforting silence, Jake’s arms secured around her waist while hers are wrapped around his neck.

It’s a very soothing moment, and Amy closes her eyes as she lets her head rest against her husband’s to better appreciate the moment.

“I know you already told me you did, but you sure you liked the party tonight?” Jake’s worried tone is what makes her finally open her eyes again and look at him.

She stops in her movements but doesn’t draw away – simply brings a hand to his face and softly strokes his cheek.

Now’s the perfect time. She doesn’t have her little gift with her but she can do without. The setting is romantic enough for her to share the news.

And, most importantly, they’re finally alone.

“I did, I promise.” She offers him a reassuring smile. The words are enough to make him relax, she notices. “It was just very bad timing, as there’s something I wanted to tell you. Only you.”

Her smile grows bigger. She can feel her heart starting to pound in her chest with anticipation. Jake, on the other hand, is watching her with a curious frown.

“What is it?”

Amy pauses just for a second – she’s waited long enough already – before spilling the truth, tears already pricking in her eyes before she can even muster the words.

“I’m pregnant,” she says and her husband’s reaction to the news is soon to come.

It takes only a beat for the fact to sink in. She can tell the exact moment it does; a new glint appears in his irises as he lets his gaze fall onto her stomach.

“You’re… pregnant?” He looks back up at her with pure awe shining in his eyes. She nods in return, the happy sobs now falling down her cheeks and blurring her vision. “We’re having a baby,” Jake lets out in a whisper, still a little in disbelief, before he brings her into a hug and kisses the top of her head.

He suddenly draws away after a while though. He watches her as if a thought just occurred to him.

“Wait. It’s your birthday and you’re the one pulling out the best surprise for me? It’s not how it’s supposed to work, Santiago!”

It makes Amy laugh.

“Well, technically it takes two to make a baby. So I guess this is partly your surprise as well.” She grins and for only answer he brings her back to him, kissing her passionately.

“Happy birthday, babe,” he eventually whispers when they part, his head still resting against hers and a beam still curving his lips.

Amy’s pretty sure she’s wearing a same expression of blissfulness on her face. Because despite everything, there’s not a doubt to have: this is, by far, the best birthday she’s ever had.


	13. Oh the Wonder that Awaits (Forever Starts Today)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake realizes he’s ready to be a father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao i swear casecation is giving me so much inspiration i’m thriving :’))))

The day is February 12th, almost 9 months after The Conversation, when it finally hits Jake.

The whole squad is celebrating Holt and Kevin’s vows renewal. He’s sitting alone at his designated table inside the huge and so beautifully decorated room, sipping a glass of champagne as he watches Amy play with Iggy and Ava. The three of them are moving around on the dancefloor and he has to admit, his wife  _still_  doesn’t know how to dance. Even the young girls seem to do better than her.

Yet it’s the most adorable thing he’s ever witnessed. They all seem to be having the time of their lives, swirling and giggling loudly. Jake can’t help but laugh along with them.

Of course, with all the nieces and nephews and little cousins Amy has, this is definitely not the first time he’s seeing her interact with kids. He’s been looking at her interacting with them differently for the past months, though – trying to picture her with  _their_  children, now that they talked about this very important part of their future they neglected before and she told him she wanted some.

( _Minimum two,_  she said when they talked about it in more depth and Jake agreed. As a single child – at least until he found out about his several half-siblings –, he always wondered what it’d be like, not to be alone with his parents. Maybe life would have been easier if he’d had someone else to share his pain with – someone who would have understood him, going through the exact same trauma.)

Trying to picture himself as a dad too, and figure out if he’s fully ready for fatherhood or not.

Amy and the girls stop dancing, waving at him with the biggest smiles on their faces when their eyes meet, melting his heart as he waves back at them with the same beam and he thinks he finally is.

It’s not really an epiphany that suddenly occurs to him on the spur of the moment – rather the peak of months of thinking about it.

Still, it’s clear to him now: he wants to start a family. With her. Have children of their own to share silly dances with and wave back at with goofy grins. He’s sure of it – as certain as he’s been on the day he became a cop, asked Amy to marry him, bought an incredibly expensive pair of sneakers. Sure, it’s still extremely scary to him – they’re going to bring a whole  _human being_  into the world who didn’t choose to be born and who’s gonna depend entirely on them, after all – but he learnt it’s not such a bad thing.

He knows it only means he’ll want to do better for their future child.

And damn right he will.

Suddenly, Jake feels the urge to stand up and join Amy on that dancefloor to tell her all about it, restless energy coursing through his veins. He doesn’t need to though, because  _she_  is the one to come back to their table soon enough – it seems like bedtime was coming for the girls and their respective parents took them away from her to tuck them in.

“These girls are so cute,” she lets out with a dreamy sigh as she takes a seat next to him and watches Ava and Iggy hugging Holt and Kevin goodnight before sleep.

“They are,” he agrees with his smile still bright on his features, looking in the same direction as his wife. She turns around to face him. That’s when he blurts it all out. “I think I’m ready.”

Amy frowns, looking confused.

“What for? You want to leave too? It’s still so early,” she retorts.

She doesn’t seem to have understood what he meant – which is understandable, in a sense. They haven’t talked about it in a while.

Jake chuckles lightly.

“No, not to leave.” He brings out a hand from under the table and grabs hers, his gaze now turned soft and loving as he watches her intently. He takes a small breath before further explaining himself. “I wanna start our family. Now. I’m ready.”

He sees as Amy’s features soften immediately as well at the words. “You are?”

“Mmmhmm. I was watching you with Iggy and Ava and I thought  _‘I want this – for us’_.” He shoots her a knowing grin.

It’s all it takes for Amy to lean over, breaking the small distance between their bodies and kiss him with her free hand cupping his cheek. Her eyes are shining with pure bliss when they part and they stay close, drowning into each other’s eyes as they don’t want to let go until something switches in her gaze and she draws away. She searches her purse and takes out a notebook and a pen.

“There’s gonna be so much planning to do! We’ll need to make binders and lists and read tons of books – I think my parents will let us borrow some…” she rambles excitedly.

Her enthusiasm makes Jake laugh.

“Easy, tiger,” he mocks, though inside his heart is melting at the simple thought of getting ready for this new crazy adventure with the love of his life. “We’ll have all the time to plan things. But maybe we can keep all of this for tomorrow and tonight we can start by, y’know, simply having sex – I’m still new to this ‘wanting a baby’ thing but I  _think_  this is our best shot at making one?” He raises an eyebrow at her suggestively and this time, it’s Amy’s turn to chuckle. She lets go of her pen, blushing a little; he can see it starting at the tip of her ears.

(Secretly, he wishes for their future child’s blush to look the same – because it’s utterly adorable, the way her ears are slowly turning pink before it reaches her cheeks and neck.)

“Sorry, it’s just… I’m so excited about this. We’re gonna have a baby!”

“I know. I’m really excited too.” Jake brings a hand to her cheek and strokes gently with his thumb, a soft smile lighting up his whole face before pressing a small peck on her lips.  _They’re gonna have a baby_  (or at least start trying) – hearing the words out loud from his wife makes his heart thump with joy in his chest.

“You really are? For realz?” Amy stills asks, though. He can see that behind their shared happiness, there’s still some concern hidden inside her eyes.

He’s quick to reassure her.

“For realz. I’m as certain I want this as I was on the day I decided I’d ask you to marry me.”


	14. I'll Be by Your Side, You Know I'll Take Your Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amy tells Jake she’s pregnant right before he’s offered the dream undercover mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is inspired by the recent spoilers we got for the finale but also takes place like months away from now so yeah haha. It’s also inspired by a prompt I received on Tumblr forever ago:
> 
> “I saw this one headcanon where Jake got asked by Holt to do an undercover mission (in general, just some cool, John McClane moment he’s always wanted) and he glances out the window at Amy, who’s pregnant and nobody else knows, and he denies the request without a second thought.”

“I’m pregnant.”

It’s only three words, a short sentence, but the power it holds is enough to change a life. It takes Jake a full second for the realization to hit him but when it does, he can feel a rush of happiness coursing through his body and his heart starting to race in his chest. Amy, his wife, his favorite person in the whole wide world, is pregnant – with his baby.  _Their_  baby.

They’re really gonna do it – have kids together.

A few months ago such news who have been terrifying to him but now it’s nothing but pure overwhelming bliss even though it still comes as a surprise. They only started trying a few weeks ago after all. He would have never imagined it would be  _this_  quick before it works out for them.

But he’s ready. More than he’s ever been. And after the day he’s had, the things he came across to, this is the best thing he could have come home to.

(Although technically, they’re still at the precinct and not just yet at home. But with everything significant that happened in here in the past between them, the evidence lockup  _does_  feel like home now.

And anyways, no matter where they might be, Amy  _is_  his home.)

There are a million things Jake wants to say – a million things he wants to shout and sing at the top of his lungs – but they all get stuck at the back of his throat, too emotional to pass the barrier of his mouth. He takes a step forward then, framing his wife’s face with both his hands before meeting her lips with his in a searing kiss to let her know exactly how he feels.

He rests his head against hers when they part, eyes looking down at her stomach.  _There’s a life growing there_ _,_  he can’t help but marvel.

“We’re gonna be parents,” he whispers dreamily and Amy nods slightly, both grinning with their eyes shining in the dark of the small room. A tear falls down her cheek that he softly removes with his thumb still resting on her face. “I love you so much.” He presses another kiss, more tender this time, against her lips.

They barely have the time to draw away a little that the sound of the door opening distracts them in their intimate moment. It’s Rosa, who frowns when she enters the room and finds them both crying – thankfully though, she doesn’t ask any question. She simply lands her eyes on Jake.

“Captain wants to see you,” she informs him.

“What does he want?” He doesn’t move. This is not really the right time.

“I don’t know. Go ask him yourself.” Rosa shrugs.

Jake pauses, looking at his wife to seek her approval. He doesn’t want to leave her so quickly after learning such life-changing news.

There’s still so much they need to excitedly gush about.

“Go.” Amy smiles softly at him and draws away from his embrace to emphasize her words. “I’ll wait for you.”

But Jake’s still hesitant.

“It’s okay, I promise. Go, it might be something important,” she repeats more firmly this time and he reluctantly obliges.

“You guys are weird,” Rosa comments with a jaded pout when he passes by her but he ignores it.

There are two other people inside Holt’s office when he enters it – people Jake knows for a fact are part of the FBI.  _This can’t be good_ _,_  he thinks as he nervously greets them and stands next to them. He can already tell this has to do with his case and the huge discovery he made about Commissioner Kelly. A rush of panic suddenly takes over him.  _What if he gets fired?!_

This would be the worst timing ever, with this new member about to join Amy and his family…

“I guess you remember Special Agent Clarke from your time working with the FBI? This is his partner, Special Agent Rogers,” Holt doesn’t waste any time to do the introductions.

Jake only nods, waiting nervously to know more about his fate.

“The discovery you made about Commissioner Kelly? It’s huge – it could dismantle the entire NYPD. But we lack evidence. This is why we couldn’t let you arrest him. And this is also why we’d like you to go undercover and help us with the investigation,” Special Agent Clarke lets it all out at once.

Jake’s mouth opens, in shock, but no word gets out of it. It’s a lot to process – definitely not the turns he thought these events were gonna take.

“Of course, as it is a dangerous mission that would take place over several months – we’re thinking at least five – you don’t have to give us an answer right away,” the agent adds when a few seconds pass and Jake’s still silent. “We can give you some time to think about it.”

“No.” The word eventually passes the barrier of his lips, firm and sure of him.

“What?” The confidence with which he declines the offer seems to take the others off guard.

Jake turns around for a second before further explaining himself. There, through the curtains, he sees Amy sitting at his desk and absentmindedly tidying it up – it seems like she came up from the evidence lockup to wait for him here. Watching her brings a fond smile to his face. When he puts his eyes back on the FBI agents and his boss, there’s a new look of determination shining inside them.

“I’m sorry but I’ll have to decline the offer. I really appreciate the faith you’re putting in me, and if you’d asked me a few years ago I would have accepted without a second thought but… there’s too much at stakes for me now. I can’t abandon my family.”

He’s never been so sure of anything before – apart maybe from the moment he told Amy he fully was ready to be a father and he wanted them to start trying. He doesn’t even feel an ounce of regret in his core as he lets out the words.

He’s made up his mind, and nothing’s gonna change his decision. It’s crystal clear to him that nothing’s more important than his wife and now future child. Not even this job he loves so much and the amazing opportunity coming with it.

There’s absolutely no way he’s going to leave Amy alone during her pregnancy. He has to be – and  _wants_  to be – there every step of the way, from pulling up her hair while she throws up because of morning sickness to letting her crush his hand with hers during labor. And it’s not just about their upcoming baby.

Even if he’d gotten the offer before Amy told him the great news, he would have still declined it. He wouldn’t have left the love of his life alone  _again_.

They’ve gone through enough separations in the past to last for a lifetime.

“Well, thank you for the work you’ve done so far. We won’t keep you any longer.” Special Agent Clarke nods understandably.

“Thank you, Sir.”

Jake doesn’t waste any more second and hurries out of his Captain’s office, towards Amy. She smiles when their eyes meet and the way his heart rushes when he reaches her side confirms once again he made the right choice.

“What did Holt want?” she asks once he’s facing her. She plays with one of the toys on his desk while she speaks.

“It wasn’t Holt. It was the FBI. And they wanted me to go undercover.”

At that, he can see her features harden and her smile falter all of a sudden. Her hands stop moving as she stiffens in front of him. The look of love she was wearing on her face is now replaced with a scared and horrified expression.

“Hey, relax.” Jake brings a hand to her arm and strokes gently to calm her down. “I said I didn’t want to go.” He attempts a reassuring smile at her but it doesn’t seem to help – nor do his words.

“Why? This is like, your dream job.”

“Yeah. And you’re my dream girl, remember? Dream  _girls_ , even, now.” He shoots her a bright, knowing beam. “Sure, I love my job, but you –  _both_  of you – mean so much more to me than this. I couldn’t leave you.”

It finally seems to work as he sees Amy relax a little.

“You sure you won’t regret it?” she still insists.

“Never,” Jake assures. “Now let’s go home? There’s  _so much_  we need to talk about.” He gives her his hand and Amy takes it without replying anything, apart from letting out a small chuckle. It’s only when they’re inside the elevator that she talks again, her tone playful this time.

“So, you think it’s gonna be a girl, uh? Wanna bet on that?”

“You know I do.”

They exchange an amused grin and, as the elevator’s doors close on them, he knows  _this_  is right where he belongs. Right by Amy’s side.


	15. I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake gushes about how great Amy is to their baby while she’s away for the weekend on a work trip (and she sees and hears everything).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is based off a story I started writing literally one year ago and a prompt I received on Tumblr: “either jake or amy single-parenting their (peraltiago’s) kid.”

It’d been established very early in their relationship that whenever they weren’t working, Sunday mornings in the Santiago Peralta household were made for sleeping in.

It was a little habit of theirs (initiated by Jake himself) to enjoy their time cuddling in bed in the dark of their room until the sun was shining high outside, blinding them through the curtains and forcing them up and out of the room. Sometimes, one of them would maybe surprise the other with some homemade breakfast in bed in a pure act of romance and want to please their other half, which often lead to some grateful morning sex.

At least, it was the case until they welcomed a new member inside their family. As soon as little Ana Santiago Peralta came into their lives, the whole concept of resting became a long lost memory. Being woken up at ungodly hours of the night by the newborn’s piercing cries had to be their new normal.

Still, neither Jake nor Amy would trade being parents for absolutely anything in the world – not even one well-deserved Sunday morning in bed, just the two of them.

Little Ana’s presence in their life is more than enough to make up for their lack of sleep.

She’s 9-month old when Amy has to leave her husband and daughter behind for a whole weekend for the first time. She doesn’t want to, but doesn’t really have a choice either – she has a presentation to show on a Sunday morning at a police convention out of state. And it’s something she can’t miss, it being another step towards her goal of making Captain someday.

She wakes up around 5:30 to go through her presentation one last time and make sure she’s ready despite having spent what must have been one of the worst nights of her entire existence (if you don’t take into account the nights she had to spend without Jake while he was in Florida or in prison). She finds it hard to get some rest when she’s so far away from her beloved family.

She still manages to wake up early, though – her body’s used to the lack of sleep now.

She sits on her bed and turns on the bedside lamp. It takes her a few seconds to adjust to this new light but as soon as she does, she grabs her computer and opens it on her lap to look at the PowerPoint she perfectly put together. She starts to read through it, but soon realizes it’s hard to focus on her work.

Everything’s calm around her – too calm, even. She hasn’t been used to this kind of silence in months. And, instead of helping her put her attention solely on what’s on her screen, the quietness makes her thoughts linger towards New York City and what’s happening at home.

What Jake and Ana are doing.

Is she letting him sleep a little, or is it one of these regressive nights she seems to be having lately, unable to sleep correctly anymore?

Amy feels a little guilty she left him to take care of their increasingly energetic and curious 9-month old alone. He’s the one who insisted she should go though, when she was about to decline the offer.

She truly found her right person in him, because not only is he a perfect husband, she also discovered (never doubted so) he’s the perfect father too.

Still, she misses her family and wishes she could be waking up by their sides right now and not alone in this hotel room. Luckily for her, she has a way to see and hear them. It’s an idea Jake and she got from an old case they solved together – back when they were no more than two coworkers fighting over who was the best detective. They turned one of their daughter’s decorative teddy bears into a monitor and had Gina make the IT guys below their floor at the precinct connect it to their personal phones and iPads so that they can check on her wherever they are.

(It’s crazy what technology can do nowadays.)

It was very useful for Jake when he first had to go back to work after his paternity leave ended and he couldn’t bear the thought of missing on any of Ana’s first months into this life.

Right now, it’s Amy’s turn to be grateful for it as she turns on the device, ready to sneak a peek on her baby girl. She frowns when she notices the bed’s empty. She doesn’t have the time to wonder nor worry about it though, because only a few seconds later Jake appears into the frame, holding Ana close to his chest as he rocks her.

Immediately, a smile forms on Amy’s face.

“You miss Mama, uh?” His voice is sleepy and she can see him fight back a yawn. “I know, me too. I don’t really sleep well without her either. But she’s being a total badass right now. Well, actually, she always is,” Jake starts rambling. Every new word he lets out warms Amy’s heart a little more. In his arms, Ana listens to her father with her big brown eyes staring right at him.

_Damn,_  she misses them as well.

“She’s done a lot of badass things,” he goes on. “Like, I know I always tell you about how great your Mama is, but did I tell you of the time she caught a bad guy while wearing a  _wedding dress_? I wasn’t there, but I wish I were. She told me about it, and Rosa told me about it. And apparently it was amazing. But I don’t doubt it. She’s an amazing Sergeant. And she’s gonna make an even better Captain.”

Her eyes are starting to get teary and blurry with the emotion but still, Amy can catch Jake’s dreamy beam as he speaks so highly of her to their daughter. He’s pacing around the room and bouncing Ana in hopes to lull her back to sleep with his movements and stories. It doesn’t seem to work though, as she’s still looking at him with her eyes wide open and wide awake.

Her tiny little hand is curled around the hem of his hoodie.

“You’re really not gonna go back to sleep, uh?” He seems to think the same as Amy does. “Okay, I have an idea. What do you say we send her a good luck selfie? I’m sure she’s already awake and working on her presentation and it could be a good distraction for her,” Jake suddenly reaches for his phone in his pocket. He carefully holds the baby with one hand while he unlocks the device with the other. Amy watches him do from her own screen, letting out a small chuckle at the scene.

He knows her so well.

“For Mama!” he says then shoots a huge grin at the camera for a second. He takes a beat to look at it – Amy can tell from the look on his face Jake’s satisfied with it. “Look how pretty we are!” He shows it to Ana and kisses her on top of her head with enthusiasm. The baby squeals in his arms.

It’s utterly adorable.

Both of them are.

And she’s sure they  _are_  beautiful in the picture indeed.

(She can’t wait to receive it, even though she saw them take it ‘live.’)

Amy could keep watching them for hours but unfortunately, Jake talking about it reminded her she has to go back to work. The quicker she’s done with her presentation, the sooner she’ll be by their sides, she tries to tell herself as she unwillingly turns off the monitor on her phone and goes back to her PowerPoint. It doesn’t take long before she’s distracted again though, when she receives a text. A smile forms on her face before she even glances at her phone – she doesn’t need to look to know who it is, and what it is about.

_Jake Peralta:_

_We miss you. Can’t wait to see you tonight. You’re gonna ace this presentation xx_

She reads the message accompanying the (really cute indeed) picture with her heart full of love. For sure she can’t wait to see them later as well.

_Thanks, babe,_  she writes back.  _I miss you guys too. So much._

_(And for the record, I think you’re an amazing Detective too.)_

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are always appreciated – don't hesitate to tell me what you thought! You can come and find me @b99peraltiago on Tumblr if you want too ;)


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